October 31, 2015

A new comparison photo

As much as I really wanted to have a very lazy morning today, I knew that I would probably be eating some candy later, so I'd better get in a run. My mom took the kids to my brother's house to help him work (Brian and Becky bought a foreclosed house in Michigan, and they are renovating it in order to move in!). He "hired" the kids to pull staples out of boards ;)

After the kids left this morning, I decided to dress for Halloween for my run. I have orange and black striped socks and a couple of Halloween shirts that only get used once a year, so I figured I might as well get a little use out of them. I used the timer on my camera to try to get a picture, and Joey was just dying to get in the photo ;)

Anyway, I ran the three mile route I used to do all the time when I first started to run. I wasn't aiming for a particular pace, and didn't look at my Garmin at all. I hardly EVER come across people when I'm running, but I saw several people out for a walk this morning. I actually came up behind a couple of women who were walking, and they were dressed for Halloween as well. One woman had the same socks I did (only they were tights as opposed to my knee highs), and the other woman was wearing a Halloween shirt from a local race. We exchanged a few words about dressing for Halloween, and then I kept on my way.

Today was a great morning for a run--kind of cold, but no wind. Maybe I should have pushed the pace, but I really didn't want to.

Later, when I was looking at pictures on my phone, I came across one from May that took me by surprise. I didn't realize just how noticeable the extra weight I'd put on was until I did a side-by-side comparison with one of today's pictures!

May 2015 vs. October 2015

On the left was from Memorial Day, when I volunteered at the Wins for Warriors 9K race; and on the right was from this morning. What a big difference!

Something I've noticed the past couple of days is that I have to sleep with a pillow between my knees again, because my knee bones are pressing together. I remember when this happened for the first time a few years ago, and I actually had bruises on the inside of each knee. I discovered it was from sleeping on my side, allowing my knees to press together. It's just one of the odd things that happens when I get close to my goal weight, I guess!

I'm looking forward to passing out candy tonight. I think if we were going to my parents' house to continue our usual routine (but without Mark), I would be sad and not able to really enjoy it. But since we've changed up our Halloween routine, I'm excited about it. The kids are going trick-or-treating with Jerry's mom, and Jerry and I are going to pass out candy at home. Since we have a garage now, we're going to sit on the couch in there and have a glass of wine while we wait for trick-or-treaters. As long as it doesn't rain, it should be a nice night!

So weird.....about 3 years ago when I lost 20 pounds with the Atkins plan the thing I remember most was my KNEES hurting because of the bones while sleeping on my side too.

I have never heard any one else complain about that but its nice to hear I wasn't alone. I have since gained back the 20 and I totally see myself in your before and after photo ....of what I was once....ugh!!

Wow! What a difference in your after picture. I've been maintaining all year after gaining weight last year and your recent re-dedication to getting back to goal has inspired me. I'm in Week Two of tracking everything and I hope to have as much success as you have.

Wow. I didn't notice the weight gain either in following your blog/photos, but the side by side shows it for sure. Maybe I need to do more side by sides of myself as I've put on a few lbs too.

Sleeping with a pillow between your knees when you sleep on your side is good for you. I do it all the time and if I'm on my back the pillow is under my knees. Both are better for spinal alignment as most chiropractors will till you. On the back it takes pressure off your back. I believe on your side it takes pressure off your hips.

Isn't it amazing how we gain a few pounds here and there and just start accepting the "new number"? Good for you for getting those extra pounds off. It is not easy and it's a lot of saying "no" to things that you would love to eat. Congratulations for saying "yes" to your health. :)

Oh my gosh, Katie! You look AMAZING. Beautiful in both pics but obviously your hard work and dedication is paying off, as always. And, I sleep with a pillow between my knees every night! I have for years - it's so uncomfortable for me without.

Katie, I REALLY hope this doesn't sound offensive but I hadn't really noticed you gained weight until you put up these side by side pics. You still look absolutely wonderful in your before pics but you can really see the result of all your hard work paying off in your most recent pics. You are doing such a great job and also seem much happier. You should be really proud of yourself knowing how hard you've worked. You continue to be a wonderful inspiration, thank you for sharing your life with us. You have no idea how much you have made an impact on my weight loss efforts.

Katie, We've been through some similar stuff in recent years (I lost my mom after you lost Mark, I had tummy tuck and then I gained weight after my mom died) and I just wanted to pop on and say watching you get the gained weight back off has been very inspiring. I've been working on my 'want to' and seeing your continued perseverance is so encouraging.

I'd love to hear from you! I read all of my comments, and if you have a question, I do my best to respond; sometimes, however, I get busy and forget to go back to reply, so if it's important, just email me! :) (I had to turn on comment moderation due to a ton of spam comments; but I will approve your comment asap!)

Amazon Affiliate Disclosure

Runs for Cookies is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. (Basically, this means that if you click a link to Amazon through my site and buy something, I may earn a commission).

Privacy Policy & Cookies

This blog does not share personal information with third parties nor do we store any information about your visit to this blog other than to analyze and optimize your content and reading experience through the use of cookies. You can turn off the use of cookies at any time by changing your specific browser settings. We are not responsible for republished content from this blog on other blogs or websites without our permission.This privacy policy is subject to change without notice and was last updated on July 27, 2017.